Sheepnapped? More Friction on the Tajik-Uzbek Border

Five shepherds and at least a thousand head of sheep seem to have become the latest victims in the ongoing border dispute between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Uzbek border guards seized the wandering ruminants earlier this month, Fergananews reported on June 24, citing the Tajik service of Radio Liberty, which in turn cited Tajik border guards in the northern province of Sughd. A father of one of the disappeared shepherds said the number of abducted animals was 2,200 sheep plus 41 cows.

No comment was immediately available from the Uzbek side, which has reportedly not responded to Tajik requests for negotiations.

The two countries have long been at odds over their 1,200-kilometer border, much of which remains undefined.